DEFINITION OF HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

It is proposed that we take human resource management to be that part of management

concerned with:

2. All the decisions, strategies, factors, principles, operations, practices, functions,

activities and methods related to the management of people as employees in any type of
organisation (including small and micro enterprises and virtual organisations);
All the dimensions related to people in their employment relationships, and all the
dynamics that flow from it (including in the realisation of the potential of individual
employees in terms of their aspirations);
All aimed at adding value to the delivery of goods and services, as well as to the quality
of work life for employees, and hence helping to ensure continuous organisational
success in transformative environments.
THE SCOPE OF HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

The scope of human resource management outlined below includes an outline of

transformation and development issues, tentative generic skills required in performing
HRM roles, as well as the roles of a human resource and HRM professionals). With
regard to the latter, the assumption is made that roles are inter-linked and management
practitioner (line management interdependent, even though these relationships may not
be expressly stated in each case.
Transformation and development issues

· · Knowledge management which entails accumulating & capturing

· · Knowledge in large organisations for future application & use (organisation

memory)

· · Reconciliation management

· · Work creation as opposed to job creation

· · Manage the transfer of HRM functions and skills to line management

· · Marketing of HRM to line management

· · Development of contextual approaches to HRM

· · Multi-skilling and /or multi-tasking

· · Increased societal responsibility

· · Managing people in virtual work environments

· · Focus on deliverables rather than doables

· · Develop additional means of assessing HRM

· · Appreciation and assessment of intellectual capital

· · Take HRM from a business partner to a business itself / Managing HRM as a

business unit

· · Adviser / consultant to line management

Supportive generic skills

This is not intended to be final outline of human resource skills but the following have
emerged during the process as important skills for human resource practitioner to
possess. These are:

· · Project management

· · Consulting skills

· · Entrepreneurship

· · Self management

· · Communication skills

· · Facilitation skills

· · Presentation skills

· · Skills for transforming groups into self-directed mutually controlled high

performing work teams

· · Trans-cultural skills

· · Mediation & arbitration skills

· · Financial skills

· · Problem-solving

· · Diagnostic skills
Core roles in Human Resource Management

The core roles of human resource management are grouped below into four categories.
The titles of the clusters are tentative, and are open for comment.
§ § PLANNING AND ORGANISING FOR WORK, PEOPLE AND HRM

§ § Strategic perspective

§ § Organisation design

§ § Change management

§ § Corporate Wellness management

§ § PEOPLE ACQUISITION AND DEVELOPMENT

§ § Staffing the organisation

§ § Training & development

§ § Career Management

§ § Performance Management

§ § Industrial relations

§ § ADMINISTRATION OF POLICIES , PROGRAMMES & PRACTICES

§ § Compensation management

§ § Information management

§ § Administrative management

§ § Financial management
UNPACKING ROLES

The roles listed above are now described in terms of broad functions, activities and
outcomes to illustrate more or less what the descriptions will look like once the Standard
Generating Groups begin to work with each role in detail.
PLANNING AND ORGANISING FOR WORK, PEOPLE AND HRM
STRATEGIC PERSPECTIVE
Develop Human Resource plans and strategies aligned to the organisation’s strategic
direction. And business strategy. Provide tools and tactics to enhance execution of these
strategies
Integrate HRM with current and pending legislation and socio-political changes.
Integrate Human Resource Management with general organisational management.
Manage the interface between HRM processes and systems.
Formulate and communicate HRM policies.
Act as the conscience of employer with respect to people issues.
Scan the environment (both international and national) and identify emerging trends that
will affect the organisation and the management of people therein.
Assess the long-term impact of short-term decisions on people.
Manage people related issues accompanying mergers, alliances and acquisitions.
Express (embody) the philosophy and values regarding people management in the
organisation.
ORGANISATIONAL DESIGN
Analyse work processes and recommend improvements where necessary.
Recommend options for organisational design & structure.
CHANGE MANAGEMENT
Advise management on implications of change for employees.
Co-ordinate & facilitate the change process.
Facilitate changed relationships.
Provide support structures for employees during change.
Deliberate and proactive management of the changing environment and its implications
for work and the organisation.
CORPORATE WELLNESS MANAGEMENT
Develop and communicate policies and procedures with regard to the management of
wellbeing
Manage occupational health and safety
Manage wellbeing (Employee Assistance programs & Health Promotion programs)
PEOPLE ACQUISITION AND DEVELOPMENT
STAFFING THE ORGANISATION

As an example, each of the functions of this role is further unpacked in terms of

activities.

Human Resource Planning (linked to strategic perspective)

·  Determine long-term human resource needs.

· · Assess current resources.

· · Identify areas of need.

Determining requirements of jobs

· · Appoint a representative committee with the task of conducting the job

analysis.

· · Decide on the use of job analysis information.

· · Decide on the sources of job analysis information.

· · Decide on the method for job analysis.

· · Review the information.

· · Based on the outcomes of the job analysis, write job descriptions and job
specifications

Recruitment of staff for the organisation

· · Develop & implement recruiting strategy bearing in mind relevant

legislation.

· · Decide whether recruitment will take place externally or internally.

· · Select methods of the recruitment (for example job posting, personnel

agencies & advertising)

· · Engage in recruitment.

Selection of human resources

· · Develop and implement selection strategy in line with relevant legislation.

· · Select appropriate tools for selection.

· · Validate selection tools in line with legislation.

· · Provide selection short list for line management to make a decision.

Placement of staff

· · Place staff in ways that will have the potential to benefit both organisation
and employee

Induction and orientation

· · Act as a facilitator for induction and orientation of new employees

Management of a-typical employment situations.

Management of termination

· · Advise management regarding the strategic implications of terminating

employment relationships.

· · Conduct exit interviews.

· · Develop a plan to replace competence lost.

· · Analysis of staff turnover and advise management on pending problems and

corrective action (where necessary).
TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT
Develop a training & development strategy according to the requirements of legislation
and with the improvement of productivity and delivery as outcome.
Conduct a training needs-assessment including the assessment of prior learning and write
training & development objectives based on the outcome thereof.
Conduct training & development.
Evaluate training & development with regard to the return on investment.
Promote training & development in the organisation.
CAREER MANAGEMENT
Design and implement a career management program aimed at integrating individual
aspirations and organisational needs & realities.
Manage career-related issues in the organisation for example women, affirmative action
and management of diversity with attention to legislation in this regard.
Manage career-related issues surrounding organisational restructuring, downsizing &
outplacement including provision of support.

PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT
Design and implement a performance management system linked to relevant HRM
systems and aimed at contributing directly to the business strategy.
Assess performance.
Use outcome of performance assessment as the basis for decision-making in areas
mentioned in point 1.
Management of individual as well as collective labour (organisational) performance.
INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS
Develop and communicate industrial relations policies and procedures in line with
legislation.
Involvement in grievance and disciplinary hearings
Lead negotiations (where necessary).
Implement termination procedures
Assessment and management of organisational climate and employee relations
Liaison with trade unions
Implementation of outcomes of collective bargaining and negotiation
ADMINISTRATION OF POLICIES , PROGRAMMES & PRACTICES
COMPENSATION MANAGEMENT
Develop compensation strategies and policies in line with legislation and the
organisation’s business strategy.
Attach meaningful monetary values to posts in the organisation ensuring that the
organisation’s compensation is in line with market forces (this may be by means of
traditional job evaluation or other methods such as skill or competency based pay).
Develop appropriate compensation systems for the organisation.
Manage overall labour costs.
INFORMATION MANAGEMENT
Provide current information regarding employees to be used in the decision-making
process and measurement of HRM’s contribution to the organisation.
Advise management regarding trends emerging from the data.
Conduct HRM research with the aim of solving problems in the organisation.
ADMINISTRATIVE MANAGEMENT
Provide integrated HRM administration that is speedy & cost effective to receiver &
administrator.
Integrated employee data management
FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT
Manage the budget for HRM functions (Training and development, IR compensation,
Employment Equity).
Negotiate maximal funds for HR.
Add value to the organisation by demonstrating a sound understanding of the complexity
of business.
Measure the financial impact of human resource systems.

---------------------@@$$**$$@@----------------------
QUALITIES OF A PERSONNEL MANAGER: -

To be successful in his job, a personnel manager must be a specialist in organization

theory and as such be an effective adviser to top management in organizational matters as
well as being able to organize his own dept/division in such a manner as to minimize
frictions, promote goodwill and release the latent energies of his own people and
associates to be expended on their primary assignments.

Other imp qualities that a personnel manager should posses are: -

1. A mind with a capacity for creative thinking, for analyzing situations and reasoning
objectively.

2. He should know the problem solving techniques and have an ability to inspire,
motivate and direct employees.

3. A devoted sense of vocation and faith in humanity.

4. Capacity for leadership, a sense of social responsibility and a standard of social

justice.

5. Personal integrity so that employees may repose confidence in him.

6. Capacity for persuasion, coupled with patience and tolerance.

7. A friendly, approachable nature, which is tactful and sympathetic, and pleasing

personality, a well groomed appearance, sophisticated taste and habits, and capable of
working with and through other people.

8. Initiative and decision making ability.

9. Mobility of facial expression (which encourages confidence, conveys interest,

registers sympathy allays distrust) and finally,

10. An ability to generate trust among his colleagues and develop acceptability,
recognition for himself and his ideas of communication with readiness and fluency.

11. Readiness’s to cooperate the subordinates in times of difficulty and never to interfere
or thrust his advice on theirs.

12. A promptitude in giving them the feedbacks in their handling on personal matter
whenever nessery in the interest of functioning of the organization and establish personal
policies of the company.
ROLE OF PERSONNEL MANAGER

1 personal role

a. Advisory –Advising management on effective use of human resources.

b. Manpower planning- recruitment, selection, etc.

c. Training and development of linemen.

d. Measurement of assessment of individual and group behavior.

2-welfare role

a. Research in personal and organizational problems.

b. Managing services- canteens grain shops, transport co-operatives, crèches, etc.

c. Group dynamics- group council ling, motivation, leadership, communication, etc.

3 clerical roles

a. Time keeping

b. Salary and wages administration incentives.

c. Maintenance of records.

d. Human engineering- man machine relationship.

4 fire fighting legal role

a. Grievance handling.

b. Settlements of disputes.

c. Handling disciplinary actions.

d. Collective bargaining.

e. Joint consultation
 The nature of HR management in the first decade of the 21st century

The key findings are summarised as answers to four questions:

What are the major issues facing HR management

• HRM people need to understand general management and the nature of the business, and line
management need to understand about HR management
• HRM strategy needs to be a guiding component of business strategy to provide competitive
advantage
• Shifts in roles:

o line management take on HRM roles

o corporate HRM functions have shifted to national and sector policy development,
corporate strategy, compliance management, specialist services
o traditional HR manager replaced by performance consultant
o staff become self-reliant re transactional HRM functions
o increasingly HRM functions are outsourced to SMME’s
o technology allows centralisation of "personnel department"
o the boundaries between traditional silo’s (functional divisions) are eroding with no clear
alternative demarcation – rather "virtual" teams with limited life span
o HRM practitioners inside organisations have to be generalists; specialist services are
outsourced
o rigid HRM systems need to be replaced by leadership role

What are the primary HRM roles in South African organisations?

• Equal participant in corporate strategy process

• Facilitation of HRM strategy as integral part of corporate strategy
• Performance consultant
• Advisor to top management
• Change agent
• Facilitation of stakeholder management
• Counsellor to staff
• System and process designer
• Compliance manager
• Leader of people
• Administrator

What are the primary competency categories which could form the basis
for a competency model for HRM management in?

• A broad framework comprising four categories of competency clusters is

suggested:
• Contextual competencies
• Functional competencies
• Managerial and leadership competencies
• Generic and process competencies